[imagesource: Wikimedia Commons]

Henry McMurray, a former Standard Bank software expert, managed to make off with around R6,3 million within a month while working at the financial institution.

The man, who also happens to be an illegal immigrant per Mail & Guardian, scammed the bank by adding zeros to inflate the amounts in transactions conducted by people he supposedly knew.

In 2017, between July 13 and August 3, McMurray interfered with 25 transactions at Standard Bank, allegedly running off with exactly R6 279 716 by forging bogus payments, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

One scam from July 21, 2017, showed a transaction where the amount of R47 was “inflated” by adding three zeros at the end of the deposit to reflect that his co-accused Augustin Ifeanyi Anosike had R47 000 in the bank.

This larger-than-life amount was then paid into Anosike’s account to the benefit of McMurray, too:

The NPA’s charge sheet shows how McMurray allegedly used the Standard Bank accounts of six “acquaintances” — including his co-accused Augustin Ifeanyi Anosike — to “interfere and/or inflate the balances of those accounts for the benefit of himself (McMurray) or the benefit of [his acquaintances]”.

These clever scams allegedly began in July 2017 when McMurray is said to have changed the R500 reflected in Anosike’s account to R500 000.

There were other transactions made to reach a nice solid R6 million or so before McMurray and Anosike were caught.

It should never have been that simple.

[source:m&g]